Automatic rain water collection device on downpipe

ABSTRACT

The device comprises a branch collar suitable for fitting onto a down pipe and having an orifice coinciding with an orifice in the side of the down pipe, the orifices allowing for the insertion of an elastic scoop which, once in the pipe, will adapt to all or part of the inside of wall of the pipe. The scoop is extended by a valve body secured to the branch collar grooves and projections.

The present invention concerns a device for collecting rain water frominside a drain pipe, so that wasting drinking water and money can beavoided.

Rain water is conventionally collected by installing a container underthe pipe cut off at a certain height with no possibility of removingexcess water other than by it overflowing from the container or byinstalling a diversion using a sleeve.

The device of the invention is inserted into an orifice formed in theside of the pipe, without cutting and without sleeving, and is fastenedto said pipe by means of a collar or saddle. An orifice in the saddlecoincides with the orifice in the pipe.

The water is collected by a trough or scoop. All or part of the outsideedge of the scoop inside the pipe is in contact with the inside wall ofsaid pipe.

Alternatively, occupying only part of the pipe, the scoop is not incontact with the wall.

The part of the scoop which extracts the water discharges outside thepipe and is in the form of a tap body or is extended by a tap body.

The part of the tap body outside the pipe passes through the saddle. Thetap body is fastened to the saddle by means of a groove on one and atenon or key on the other, or by virtue of coincidence of one plane withanother. The tenons or keys are called bosses. A shoulder fastened tothe saddle is inserted into the orifice to locate the saddle on thedrain pipe.

The appended drawings show one embodiment of the invention by way ofnon-limiting example.

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the device.

FIG. 2 shows the saddle and its connection to the tap extending thescoop in elevation and in cross-section on the line A--A.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the tap extending the scoop incross-section on the line B--B.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the scoop.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a tap body 2 extended by a scoop 9 shown indetail in FIG. 4 passes through the saddle 1.

A shoulder 7 that can be seen in FIG. 2, inserted in the orifice in thedrain pipe (not shown) locates the saddle 1. Bosses 30 (FIG. 2) act aslateral guides for the grooves 10 (FIG. 3) of the tap body 2, preventingthe latter from rotating, especially when it is nested in the saddle 1.

The part of the scoop 9 adapted to be located inside the drain pipe isinclined to extract water, the lowest point being towards its partoutside the pipe. Its lowest point is therefore the point nearest theorifice 31 in the saddle 1 fastened to the tap body 2. After it iscompressed to insert it into the orifice formed in the drain pipe, thispart of the scoop 9, which is elastic, for example, resumes its originalshape, allowing it to mate with the inside wall of said pipe and socollect almost all of the water flowing therein.

This part of the scoop 9 occupies only part of the cross-section area ofthe drain pipe, enabling surplus water to flow.

The tap body 2 can be associated with an automatic valve or any othersystem connecting to a collection container.

We claim:
 1. Device for collecting rain water from inside a drain pipecharacterised in that it comprises:a deformable scoop (9) adapted to becompressed for insertion into an orifice formed in the side of said pipeand adapted thereafter to resume its shape to collect water flowing insaid drain pipe and to remove it from said pipe, a saddle (1) adapted tobe fitted to the drain pipe and having an orifice (31) coincident withthe orifice formed in the drain pipe, the saddle (1) fastening thedevice to the drain pipe, a body (2) extending said deformable scoop (9)and passing through the saddle (1) to remove water from said drain pipe.2. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that the saddle (1) isin the form of a collar and comprises means (7) for locating it on thedrain pipe.
 3. Device according to claim 2 characterised in that thesaddle (1) locating means comprise a shoulder (7) entering the orificein the drain pipe.
 4. Device according to claim 1 characterised in thatit further comprises fastening means (10, 30) for fastening the body (2)to the saddle (1).
 5. Device according to claim 4 characterised in thatthe fastening means comprise coincident planes.
 6. Device according toclaim 4 characterised in that the fastening means comprise grooves (10)and bosses (30) preventing the body (2) from rotating when it is nestedin the saddle (1).
 7. Device according to claim 1 characterised in thatthe past of the scoop (9) inside the drain pipe is inclined to removewater, its lowest point being the point nearest the orifice (31) in thesaddle (1) fastened to the body (2).
 8. Device according to claim 1characterised in that the scoop (9) is elastic.
 9. Device according toclaim 1 characterised in that the part of the scoop (9) inside the drainpipe comprises an outside edge which is wholly or partially in contactwith an inside wall of said drain pipe to collect water flowing therein.10. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that the part of thescoop (9) inside the drain pipe occupies only part of the cross-sectionarea of the drain pipe to enable surplus water to flow.